NZ welcomes stronger sanctions on North Korea

Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the prompt and unanimous United Nations Security Council Resolution imposing additional sanctions on North Korea.

Resolution 2375 was adopted by the Security Council earlier today, following North Korea’s sixth nuclear test on 3 September.

It is the ninth Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on North Korea, whose nuclear and ballistic missile tests violate previous Security Council directives. It follows Resolution 2371, which was agreed in early August.

“North Korea has shown, time and again, that it poses a real and immediate threat to both regional and international security,” Mr Brownlee says.

New Zealand continues to condemn its provocative actions in the strongest possible terms.”

The resolution adopted today will significantly reduce North Korea’s oil imports, bans North Korea from importing natural gas and exporting textiles, and restricts the number of labourers from North Korea that will be able to work overseas and generate income for the regime.

It also allows states to inspect vessels on the high seas suspected of carrying items prohibited by the sanctions regime.

The measures contained in the resolution are estimated to diminish North Korea’s export earnings by as much as USD $1.3 billion.

“This is money that North Korea will not be able to put towards its illegal nuclear and missile programmes,” Mr Brownlee says.

“These new sanctions send a loud and clear message to North Korea that its behaviour will not be tolerated by the international community and will be met with significant consequences.

“New Zealand has identified the support that we can provide on sanctions implementation in the Pacific. We will also be undertaking prompt steps to implement the new resolution and the measures it contains.

“New Zealand, once again, joins the international community in calling on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and turn away from its current course,” Mr Brownlee says.